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‘Doomed to failure’: Beijing warns Manila against bolstering South China Sea outpost after ships collide
- China’s defence ministry says Philippines ‘resorted to deception’ and ‘played victim’ in latest clash near contested Second Thomas Shoal
- Manila says Chinese coastguard ‘harassed’ and fired water cannons, while Beijing says Philippine vessels illegally entered its territorial waters
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China has issued fresh warnings to the Philippines over an incident in the South China Sea earlier this month, saying Manila “resorted to deception” and its efforts to reinforce its outpost on a disputed reef were “doomed to failure”.
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When asked about a March 5 collision between Chinese and Philippine vessels near the contested Second Thomas Shoal, Chinese defence ministry spokesman Zhang Xiaogang said on Friday that Manila infringed upon Beijing’s rights.
Zhang also urged the Southeast Asian country to stop any “provocative actions” that would escalate the dispute.
“The Philippine side ignored the good faith and restraint shown by the Chinese side, reneged on its words … and repeatedly made provocations by intruding into the waters adjacent to China’s Renai Jiao,” he said, using the Chinese name for the shoal.
The Philippines said Chinese coastguard ships had “harassed” and fired water cannons at its vessels, and later summoned China’s deputy chief of mission in Manila to protest against the “aggressive actions”.
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